Diablo Immortal, Blizzard’s mobile-focused entry in its action-RPG franchise, has now earned over $300 million in revenue, according to reports. For reference, the hugely popularRaid: Shadow Legendsmade record earnings in 2021, reaching $370 million. This putsDiablo Immortal, which only came out this summer, well ahead of the curve, at least financially.
Around its launch, the game was the target of harsh criticism and fan backlash. Even though many reviews described satisfying and fun gameplay consistent with theDiabloseries, players were outraged at the game’s egregious microtransaction economy and took toreview bombingDiablo Immortalin protest. Blizzard Entertainment president, Mike Ybarra, defended the microtransactions, stating that the majority of players don’t pay anything at all. That didn’t soothe angry fans though, who are faced with a system that aggressively pushes them to use real money, or else deal with a massive grind.
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Despite negative gamer sentiment, the strategy seems to be paying off for the company, in a very literal sense. 5 months after its initial release,Diablo Immortalhas now earned a total of over $300 million worldwide. This figure consists of $155.6 million earned from the game’s initial launch in 60 countries and a whopping $144.7 million from a separate China-only launch handled by NetEase Games.Chinese publisher NetEase works with some major names in gamingand is second only to Tencent when it comes to the country’s major video game corporations.
It’s important to note that the Chinese release of the game was over a month and a half after its release elsewhere. Even so, the Chinese revenue nearly matched that of the rest of the world. The country has the highest number ofDiablo Immortaldownloads of any region at 4.15 million, out of a global total of 21.4 million. That’s roughly 19% of all downloads, but when compared to how much money those players are spending on the game, it proves how important the Chinese gaming market is.
Diablo Immortalhas been included among the worst microtransactionsin gaming history, yet despite heavy industry, media and fan criticism, the financial gain can’t be denied. And it could lead the company down a worrying path, one many gamers are already seeing in Blizzard properties. If the pay-to-win, or at least pay-to-win-faster, model is working financially, gamers are likely wondering how much more of it they will see. Ybarra may point out that the money earned only comes from a small percentage of players, but that also implies that an equally small percentage of players are fine with the choice to monetize so aggressively. The enjoyment of the majority of players may therefore be limited.
Diablo Immortalisn’t the only Blizzard title trying to push through troubling microtransactions, however. Theextreme prices in theOverwatch 2shophave been the focus of much backlash as well. Fans can only hope this is not a path the company chooses to double down on, but with revenue likeDiablo Immortal’s, chances seem slim.
Diablo Immortalis available now on Mobile and PC.
